Speed accounted for at least 27 percent of traffic deaths, killing 193, in Louisiana in 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Data found that young male drivers were most likely to be speeding at the time of fatal crashes. State Police Sgt. Nick Manale says getting young men to slow down is a combination of educating and enforcing…

cut 8 (07) “a reason”

34 percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2013 were also speeding.

The Louisiana National Guard says they are still putting a policy together so they can follow Governor Bobby Jindal’s executive order allowing guardsmen to be armed at military facilities. Colonel Pete Schneider says Louisiana’s major national guard bases have full-time force protection personnel, but their armories and recruiting offices do not have this type of security…

cut 14 (10) “training process”

The political news website Politico reports that Governor Bobby Jindal is still not polling high enough to be invited to the first Republican presidential debate. LaPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says while Jindal would prefer to be on that stage, his exclusion could kind of play into his hands…

cut 5 (09) “in recent weeks”

Fox News will host the first debate in 15 days and include only the top 10 contenders based on an average of recent polls.

The lifestyle digital publication PureWow has named Thibodaux as one of the 12 cutest small towns in America. Kathy Benoit, President of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce, says they are thrilled about this latest designation…

cut 10 (10) “know it also”

The article says the picks were based on places with loads of charm, festivals, and quaint locations.

Former LSU All-American Aaron Nola gave up five hits and one run in six innings in his major league debut, but it wasn’t enough as the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0. Rays pitcher Nathan Karns not only gets the win by giving up 3 hits in five innings, he scored the game’s only run with a solo homer in the third inning. Karns’ dinger was the first home run by an American League pitcher since 2011.

UL-Lafayette head football coach Mark Hudspeth announces that defensive lineman Marquis White and receiver CJ Bates have been dismissed from the program for violating team rules. White recorded 16 tackles for the Ragin Cajuns last season and Bates caught 12 passes, one for a touchdown. Hudspeth says they wish them well and he will have no further comment on the matter.

Conference USA Media Day is today in south Florida. Louisiana Tech head football coach Skip Holtz will address the media, along with safety Kentrell Brice and quarterback Jeff Driskel this morning.

The Ragin Cajuns and head baseball coach Tony Robichaux have agreed on a multi-year contract extension. The terms of the deal, which must be approved by the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors, have not been disclosed. Robicheaux lead the Cajuns to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship last season and the team advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals.

League sources say veteran center Kendrick Perkins will join the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s reported that the team will sign Perkins to a one year contract for the veterans minimum. The Pels see the 30-year-old serving as a mentor for star forward Anthony Davis. Perkins joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in February, but was only used sparingly.

Sources also say Seth Curry and the Sacramento Kings have agreed a two-year, $2 million contract. Curry, brother of NBA MVP Stephen Curry, was the top scorer in the NBA’s summer league pumping in 25 points per game for the New Orleans Pelicans.

In college basketball…the Lady Techsters have released their schedule for the upcoming season. Coach Tyler Summit’s team opens the season on November 14th at Wisconsin.

The political news website Politico reports that Governor Bobby Jindal is still not polling high enough to be included in the first Republican presidential debate. They are basing their prediction on a recent Washington Post/ABC poll where Jindal received just two-percent of the vote. LaPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says this does not bode well for the governor…

cut 4 (05) “not be there”

Fox News will host the first debate on August 6th and only the top 10 contenders based on an average of recent polls will be invited.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speed accounted for at least 27 percent of traffic deaths, killing 193, in Louisiana in 2013. State Police Sgt. Nick Manale says the faster the vehicle is going, the less reaction time the driver has.

cut 7 (05) “as possible”

Data found that young male drivers out of all age groups were most likely to be speeding at the time of fatal crashes.

A spokesperson for the Louisiana National Guard says they are still putting a policy in place so they can follow Governor Bobby Jindal’s executive order that allows guardsmen to be armed at military facilities. Colonel Pete Schneider says as part of their planning, they are determining which officers should be issued a government weapon for security purposes while on national guard property…

cut 13 (09) “of force briefed”

Jindal issued the executive order last Friday after a gunman fatally shot four Marines and a sailor at two military centers in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to six-point-four percent in June based on the latest labor statistics. Louisiana Workforce Commission executive director Curt Eysink says the data also shows the Bayou State adding 13,400 jobs over the last 12 months. He says the current job growth is across many different professions….
cut 14 904) “…total ever”
Payrolls rose by 5,000 from May to June but Eysink admits the dropping price of oil is affecting energy sector jobs.

There are a group of parents in Tangipahoa Parish who believe the start of school should be pushed back, because it’s too hot. The concerned parents have started an online peition. But Tangipahoa School Superintendent Mark Kolwe (Cole-lay) says it’s too late to push the first day of school back…
cut 8 (08) “….calendar”
Kolwe says school is set to start in two weeks, because students need as much classroom instruction as possible for the state exams in March and April.
In an effort to re-establish the species, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has released juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles into the Calcasieu River Basin. Eric Gill has more…
cut 2 (30) “….I’m Eric Gill”

A former Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputy faces a day in jail for punching a man who was under arrest in September 2013 after the Sugar Cane Festival in New Iberia. Twenty-nine-year-old Cody Laperouse must also perform 200 hours of community service, take anger management classes and pay a $2,000 fine.

Some Tangipahoa Parish parents are petitioning to change the start date of school to after Labor Day because of the extreme heat….
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

In Iberia Parish today, convicted killer Keith Overton LeLeux has pleaded guilty to the asphyxiation death of Judy Blanchard Landry 7 years ago, when he broke into her home to steal drug money. As part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Leleux was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of parole.
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Some new numbers for the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows that Louisiana added jobs in June. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive director Curt Eysink says the state’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.4 percent, even with the struggling oil industry…
CUT 15 (10) Q: ‘of oil”

In an effort to re-establish the Alligator Snapping Turtles , the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has released some juvenile turtles into the Calcasieu River Basin. LDWF Natural Heritage Program Manager, Amity Bass, says this is the culmination of three years of work…
cut 10 (08) “this fall”
She says the turtle is a Species of Concern, and they want to keep it off the endangered list.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana added jobs in June and the that is translating to the addition of 13,400 jobs over the year. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive director Curt Eysink says he sees growth to continue, and points out a couple of hot categories…
cut 14 (04) “total ever”

State Police say a woman is dead and a man seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle on I-12 in Livingston Parish. Trooper Bryan Lee says 57-year-old Maggie Lynn of Independence and 56-year-old James Kinchen of Tickfaw were attempting to load a car on the back of a trailer when 26-year-old Mekdad Zidan of Baton Rouge approached…
CUT 3 (10) “of the trailer”
Zidan was placed under arrest for reckless operation and negligent homicide.
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With the first day of school on August the 6th, a group of Tangipahoa Parish parents say it’s too hot for their kids to get on unair-conditioned school buses in the hottest part of the day, and they are presenting a petition to the school board to delay the first day of school until after Labor Day…
CUT 9 (09) Q: “of school”
That’s Tangipahoa Parish School Board Superintendent Mark Kolwe (Cole-lay).

Police in Thibodaux have made an arrest of a parolee, found in possession of crack cocaine, ecstacy and other illegal drugs during a traffic stop. Twenty-six year-old Alfonzo Johnson of Thibodaux tried to convince the officer the crack cocaine was actually deodorant. The K-9’s were called to dispel that, and Johnson was booked into the LaFourche Parish Detention Center, then released after posting a nine thousand dollar bond.

Some parents in Tangipahoa Parish are asking for a delay the start of school, because of the extreme heat. The petition points to many unairconditioned school buses, and they want the first day of school after Labor Day. Erin Hunt is a parent in Kentwood, and she says they’re not asking to make the summer longer…
CUT 7 (12) Q: ‘for summer’
Tangipahoa School board officials say they need enough classroom time before the kids have to take the state exams.

The latest numbers for the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that Louisiana added jobs in June and the state’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.4 percent. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive director Curt Eysink says employers added 13,400 jobs over the year.
cut 13 (04) “really positive”
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State Police are investigating a deadly crash on I-12 in Livingston Parish Monday afternoon, where a couple of people trying to load a vehicle on the back of a trailer, were struck by a driver who lost control of his vehicle. Trooper Bryan Lee says that driver is 26 year-old Mekdad Zidan of Baton Rouge, and he was arrested for wreckless operation…
CUT 5 (10) Q: “negligent driving”
the dead woman is fifty-seven year old Maggie Lynn of Independence; 56-year-old James Kinchen of Tickfaw was serously injured.

The LDWF has released some juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles into the Calcasieu River Basin, in hopes to re-introduce the species through the head-start program, and to keep them off the endangered species list….
CUT 12 (09) Q: “that’s our goal”
That’s LDWF Natural Heritage Program Manager, Amity Bass.